Fearless Fund has announced it has received multi-million dollar follow-on investments from Bank of America, Costco, and Mastercard. Investing In WOC Founded in 2019 by Arian Simone, Keshia Knight Pulliam, and Ayana Parsons, Fearless Fund invests in pre-seed, seed level, and series A women of color founders building scalable and growth-aggressive companies. Their portfolio includes Bitsy’s, the clean food and beverage brand co-founded by Gabrielle Union, Melissa Butler’s cruelty-free beauty brand The Lip Bar, Pinky Cole’s Slutty Vegan, and Sevetri Wilson’s Resilia. Read: Resilia Closes $35M Series B, Largest Raise Ever For A
Black Women Empowered, a global platform aimed to inspire women of color, has launched the Black Women Empowered Business Network. The platform will unite leading business and inspiring leaders to share their roadmap to success. Black women are the fastest growing group of entrepreneurs, according to a Harvard Business Review report that found that 17% of Black women are in the process of starting or are running new businesses, compared to 10% of white women and 15% of white men. Additionally, while Black women represent 14% of the female population,
Non-profit organization Silicon Harlem has teamed up with AT&T and the New York Urban League (NYUL) to offer opportunities for teens and students to explore tech careers. Silicon Harlem’s new learning lab, which opened Tuesday, invites students to try a new tech-related skill, from augmented reality to creating code. The lab received a major donation from AT&T, allowing them to have the latest technology for the teens in aims to bridge the digital divide and increase diversity. “We want to make sure when it’s time for you all to apply
Squire, the Black-owned all-in-one barbershop management platform, has surpassed $1 billion in payments processed, according to co-founder Songe LaRon. “It took two years to reach our first $1 million, 5.5 years to $100 million, and now we surpassed $1 billion,” said LaRon. “Every dollar reflects the hard work of our team and the dedication of the barbers we serve, and I’m deeply grateful to every shop owner, barber, and team member who’s been part of this journey.” What is Squire? Founded in 2015 by Songe LaRon and Dave Salvant, the
A new report by Dropbox DocSend has shed light on the funding divide in the tech industry, particularly regarding race and gender disparities among founders. While 2021 witnessed record-breaking levels of VC funding and increased engagement with diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, 2022 proved to be more challenging for historically underfunded founders. Turning tides In 2021, VC funding for early-stage founders experienced a significant boost, with record-breaking funding levels. Historically underrepresented founders also experienced a surge of investor interest driven by DEI-related investment initiatives in response to the murder
Co-founder and CEO at Heex Technologies, Bruno Mendes Da Silva, has announced that his startup has signed a public contract with US Authorities. We previously wrote about Heex’s smart data management platform helping carmakers sift through the sea of data required to put autonomous vehicles on the road. Now, this new partnership will see the team provide their software solution to process data from Autonomous Vehicles and Mobility operators as part of the Automated Driving System program in California. The data will foster safety standards and rulemaking of autonomous vehicles
Horizon Media – reportedly the largest US media agency – has joined Burst Premium Network to create the first-ever network featuring a DEI content experience that amplifies the work and voices of local storytellers across more than 150 broadcast stations. Burst is a leading mobile video technology company aiming to transform how broadcasters, publishers, and media companies manage and monetize user-generated and controlled video content. The aim is focused on community-based DEI storytelling to amplify the work and voices of local storytellers across more than 150 broadcast stations. “We are
The dating app for Black singles, BLK, has introduced its new Father’s Day campaign “BLK DAD ENERGY.” The campaign aims to become the epicenter of Black fatherhood. It gives single fathers a community to talk, share stories, and spread love through its digital hub. BLK DAD ENERGY includes multiple sections for members to utilize, such as “Girl Dads” for fathers who want to better their relationships with their daughters and “Dating Dads,” a segment for rebuilding Black love in one’s life. For example, ”Girl Dads” features segments and videos with
Early-stage investor Black Seed has raised £5 million ($6.25 million) with aims to create a Black Silicon Valley in London. The South London-based venture firm raised the money as an inaugural fund to invest in and support Black founders by investing in seed-stage startups. Founders Karl Lokko, Cyril Lutterodt, and founding member Yvonne Nagawa launched Black Seed to address the lack of funding Black founders receive in the UK. According to Techcrunch, the firm will focus on early-stage investing, serving as a kind of “family and friends” round for those
The Google for Startups Black Founders Fund is back for the third year after it launched as part of Google’s $175 million commitment towards racial equity. The fund has also expanded to Brazil, Europe, and Africa, and last year it announced its first-ever Latino Founders Fund in the US. It aims to support Black and Latino founders using technology to solve some of society’s biggest problems. The European fund launched with a $2 million grant fund that has since doubled to $4 million, with 40 Black-led tech startups across Europe
